I began this column five years ago, this past November. I started with an article about the Killington World Cup over Thanksgiving Weekend. I was supposed to write a special in-person local introspective on the race and call it a day. But somehow, that one article evolved into one after the other, and until now, I have written over 250 columns about how much I love living here in Killington, how much I love skiing, and random deep thoughts about life that have everything and nothing to do with being a ski bum.
So, a consistent column about inconsistent topics.
A consistent framework creates a structure where random things can safely and encouragingly occur. The same thing happens: I sit at my computer, prepare my mind, and then write 850 words wherever my mind takes me. In repetition lies safety. Consistency begets creativity.
I’ve been coaching 5-year-olds since I was 15. That’s almost 40 years of coaching one age group. And I have found that through consistency, youngsters can grow in leaps and bounds. Because they feel safe, they feel they have the freedom to move beyond their current limitation. With Team PomPom, we start every morning the same way, warming up our minds and bodies by pushing and skating to the lift of the moment. We stop in the same spots, like the crazy weird thing at the top of RamsHead, the Snoopy House, and the Catyard. And at the same time, these kids are skiing backward, on one ski, and in all kinds of new and different ways. They can try these new things because the training is consistent.
We see it in our adult lives, in literature, in how morning people with a routine seem to get more accomplished and be better than the rest of us. Their consistency makes them better. Their ability to wake up and follow a pattern to begin their day. Those with the fortitude to start their day with a routine, a safe space for the mind instead of jarring it with social media or emails. Those who are consistent feel a sense of control of their lives—and because of it, they can embrace the challenges of what is to come.
Think of the skier and the methodical routine of putting on your ski gear; the youth call it a GRWM (get ready with me.) Do you put your ski socks on before or after your long underwear? I buckle my boots the same way (3, 4, 1, 2, strap) every time I put them on. Then I pull the powder skirt down over the strap and top buckle before making sure my pant leg is properly lengthened to my ankle. I tap my snow boots together three times, holding them by the backs, and place them in the back of the car. Everything about getting for skiing seems to be about patterns and consistency because it provides comfort and safety. You’re not gonna do crazy, weird things when your boots don’t feel right.
But we try so hard to push consistency on the things that should be free. You cannot make the same turn every single time, in every single situation while on the hill. Sure, maybe if a constant pitch trail with a single fall line like Outer Limits has been groomed with 8 inches of fluffy glitter powder on top of it. Sure, then you can make the same turn repeatedly, consistently down the trail while everyone watching from the lift hoots and hollers. That’s the stuff that dreams are made of. But more often than not, Outer Limits is a mass of inconsistent moguls, haphazard sizes and lines strewn about like the chaos that created them. If we try to enforce consistency on a bumped-up Outer Limits, you better go to the Olympics for Freestyle.
For most of us, we must embrace the terrain’s inconsistency. A random chunky section followed by a slick spot means that no turn can be the same as the one before. Like in life, we must make constant adjustments, be willing to use a slip pivot when needed or adjust the intensity of the edge angle. We must not only be willing to change, we must embrace it. Just like getting ready for skiing, we can start off every day with a solid and safe routine, 15 minutes of mobility for your body & mind can set you up to take on all the variability of the day. That’s the consistency that I am looking for in 2025. To create a foundation for every day, enabling me to embrace the inconsistency of life—on and off the slopes.
Merisa Sherman is a longtime Killington resident, global real estate advisor, and PomPom coach.
